Dedicated fans of the Harry Potter series have successfully influenced the rerouting of a multi-million-pound power cable destined to connect the UK and Ireland. The cable's original path was planned to cross Freshwater West beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales, a location fans believe to be the final resting place of the beloved fictional elf, Dobby.

In the film "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," Dobby is buried on this very beach. Despite requests from the landowner, the National Trust, to refrain from leaving tributes due to the beach's ecological sensitivity, fans have continued to place stones inscribed with "Here Lies Dobby."

The £430 million Greenlink interconnector, which will link the National Grid to Ireland, was initially slated to pass through the area considered Dobby's 'grave.' Simon Ludlam, the project manager, revealed in an interview on the Energy Revolution podcast that the cable's underground entry point at Freshwater West was publicized during a BBC segment. Following the broadcast, the project team received "hundreds of calls" from concerned fans.

Ludlam admitted to being unaware of the character Dobby and expressed his initial confusion regarding the public's strong reaction. He recalled a colleague explaining the significance, stating, "Apparently we’re going to go straight through Dobby’s grave." Ludlam's initial response highlighted the fictional nature of the concern, but he was informed of the matter's seriousness.

Consequently, the firm engaged planners to identify an alternative route that would bypass the "grave." Ludlam noted that this decision was met with widespread approval, and the project has now proceeded, with Dobby's resting place preserved. In the end, while the new route came close to actual Bronze Age burial remains, the 'grave' of the fictional elf was successfully avoided.

English Translation:

Harry Potter Fans Force Relocation of £430m Undersea Cable to Avoid Dobby’s ‘Grave’

Harry Potter enthusiasts have compelled a new multi-million-pound power cable between the UK and Ireland to be rerouted after voicing concerns that it would desecrate the "grave" of Dobby, a fictional elf.

The character was laid to rest on Freshwater West beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales, in the film *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows*. Fans of the wizarding series visit to leave stones inscribed with "Here Lies Dobby," despite being asked not to by the landowner, the National Trust, as the beach is an ecologically sensitive site.

The £430 million Greenlink interconnector, which connects the National Grid to Ireland, was initially planned to pass through the site of the "grave," project manager Simon Ludlam told the Energy Revolution podcast. Fans became aware of the plans after Ludlam indicated the 125-mile (200km) cable's underground entry point at Freshwater West during a BBC interview. "We did the shot, we finished, I went back to London, and they then aired it a couple of weeks later. And we got hundreds of calls, I mean, hundreds of calls."

Ludlam stated he was unaware of who Dobby was and was confused by the calls the company received, recounting a colleague telling him: "Apparently we’re going to go straight through Dobby’s grave." He questioned, "I said: ‘Dobby, who’s Dobby? I don’t know Dobby?’ I said: ‘He’s a fictitious character in a fictitious book, the whole thing is fictitious, what are you talking about?’” His colleague reportedly insisted, "No it’s very, very serious."

The firm then enlisted planners to find a new route that avoided the supposed grave. "A lot of people were very happy about that, and the project is now going [ahead] and Dobby’s happy," Ludlam remarked. Ultimately, he said, "we went quite close to some real Bronze Age remains, but we avoided Dobby’s grave." The Bronze Age remains include urns associated with human burial.